Snow Prince
by Titania Eli
Summary: Lyon ran into a spot of trouble while on a mission to subdue a kraken. Okay, fine, it was a shitload of trouble. Meanwhile, Gray tried not to panic. Naturally, he failed miserably. No slash.
1. Chapter 1

_The disappointing lack of Lyon's fanfics motivated me to write my own. :p_

* * *

**Snow Prince**

Sherry was screaming. Toby was hanging precariously onto the deck of the ship with his elongated nails and Yuka was missing. He was barely holding onto the mast as the whole ship rocked violently, blood running down the side of his head. And Sherry – Sherry was still _screaming._

Before we continue, let's backtracked to explain more about our current situation, shall we?

Two days ago, Toby had grabbed a mission request from the board. It was a request to subdue a kraken that has been terrorizing the town of Hargeon. It was reasonably paid and near the guild, so why not? Hargeon Town was a port city, and its main business was its sea trade and fishing. With the kraken making the port its territory, no ships would venture near, much less any aquatic fishes. So Lyon and his team had accepted the mission and set off the next morning. The town mayor had been immensely relieved that someone had replied to his request and had informed them of the situation right away. The kraken had been consuming anything that dared to venture into the water, although it stayed away from land and humans were quite safe as long as they avoided the sea. However, Hargeon's economy depended heavily on its fishing business, and people needed their sea to survive. The kraken must be stopped.

Lyon had never seen a kraken before, but he knew that they weren't supposed to be this huge. He had estimated the kraken to be about the size of an average cargo ship. But no, it was _twice_ the size of a ship. When it sensed a ship moving over the surface of the water, it appeared immediately. Its monstrous appearance had shocked every one of them, and this led back to our current situation.

Lyon gasped as he was drenched from head to toe. The kraken dug into the hull of the ship, shattering the wood effortlessly. No matter how many attacks they had threw at it, it was unfazed and continued assaulting the ship. Looked like the rumours of krakens being magic-resistant were true after all.

For a second, Lyon regretted not bringing Jura along, but quickly disposed of that thought. Jura's magic was earth-based, and no matter how strong he was, he was virtually useless in the sea.

"_Lyon-sama_!" Sherry's scream was spine-chilling. With great difficulty, he turned around, trying to find the pink-haired woman despite the water splashing and heavy rocking.

He found her sprawled at the quarterdeck, near the helm. She seemed to be favouring her right leg, her hand gripping onto her ankle tightly. Standing above her, one of her enchanted creatures was fighting off a pair of tentacles. Lyon vaguely recognized it as one of the fallen masts. It wouldn't last long, what with the kraken's overwhelming strength.

Gritting his teeth, he sent a flock of ice birds flying towards the kraken's head to distract it. The kraken made a sort of roaring sound as the birds pecked furiously at its eyes, swarming around the creature's head. Lyon set off running towards the direction of Sherry, caution reminding him to keep an eye on the kraken. He nearly went careening off the ship as it tilted dangerously. The ship was going to capsize, or be dragged down by the kraken; either way, he has to get his teammates off the vessel fast.

"Sherry!" he yelled to get the pink-haired woman's attention. Sherry's head whipped to his direction, eyes wild and frantic. He slid right next to her, tugging at her arm insistently.

"Come on, Sherry, we have to get off this ship." He shouted over the kraken's roaring. He looked up as the main sail was ripped in half by a tentacle.

"I-I can't stand up, Lyon-sama." Sherry stammered, tears brimming at the corner of her eyes. She shook minutely under his hands.

"You _have to._" He growled. "Or else we'll all be dying here! Get to Toby and find Yuka. _Now_! I'll distract that beast!"

He pulled her to her feet, steadying her as she stumbled. She looked up at him, ready to protest again before she saw the fear in his eyes. She clamped her mouth shut with a snap, before nodding with determination.

"Go!" he yelled. He pushed her urgently, just in time for a wayward boom to miss falling onto them. The sail blanketed the quarterdeck, but the two mages were already off and running towards Toby.

"Ice Make: Snow Dragon!" he formed a seal at the kraken's direction. Half of his birds were gone, and the remaining ones were busy trying to flee from the terrible leviathan instead.

A shuddering bellow vibrated the deck below them as a dragon formed above him. Several ice wolves sprung out from him to shadow Sherry. The dragon crashed against the kraken, pinning down at least two of its flailing arms. It didn't work; the dragon was already splintering into pieces. But at least Sherry had reached Toby's side, the wolves circling the both of them.

"Get to the forecastle!" he shouted. Just then, the kraken released a bloodcurdling howl of anger. It smashed the ice dragon, as easily as swatting away a fly. It wrapped a pair of tentacles at each end of the ship, before another one came crashing down the middle.

"_LYON-SAMA_!" Sherry screamed. Toby was yelling at the side, but she didn't register what he was saying. All she could see was Lyon disappearing behind the tentacle.

Toby wrapped an arm around her waist, hurling her away from the center of the deck. He grabbed onto a rope as they started to slide towards the middle. A wolf shattered as it suddenly leapt in front of them, taking the brunt of the collapsing crow's nest.

Lyon scrambled to grab onto something as the ship started to fall apart. This was no good. He has to do something, or else everyone will be dragged down into the sea. He looked up just in time to see a tentacle tearing across the ship to curl itself around his abdomen. His ribs gave under the pressure and he was pulled off the ship. The skin on his fingers was torn off as his grip on the rope was ripped away. He didn't even have time to hold his breath before he was pulled into the waters. He tried using his magic, but the ice shattered before it could even formed into anything. He was dragged under, and the further and deeper he goes, he was losing more air.

His throat felt tight, his lungs felt like it was going to implode within his body and he was losing consciousness. He was going to die.

He wrestled weakly in the kraken's grip, bubbles of air escaping his mouth. His lids slid shut involuntarily and even his struggles were losing strength. He was going to drown and his body will never be found again, forever lost in the deep sea. Or in the belly of the kraken. Whichever.

As he descended deeper, his entire body felt lighter. It felt like an out-of-body experience. He felt like his soul was already half way out of its mortal shell. The lack of air didn't matter anymore. All he felt was what felt like a hand on his cheek. It was assuring and strangely gentle.

_This must be what dying feels like_, he thought. His last regret was his teammates and oddly enough, Gray, the obnoxious and unpleasant little brother he always thought him as.

He didn't even notice when he stopped moving.

_Ur..._

* * *

When Gray received the emergency call, it was in the form of an eagle crashing right into his head while he was nursing a drink at Mirajane's bar.

He cursed violently as the bird attacked his head viciously. He desperately swat at the eagle, yelling profanities in anger. Lucy, who finally managed to stop laughing, took pity on him and plucked the bird out of the air.

"Damn bird!" Gray growled, wincing as he pressed against the fresh wound on his head.

Lucy giggled at him, amused. She glanced at the eagle in her grip. It was a really beautiful bird. Pale grey feathers, with golden talons that dug into her arm. She winced as she tried to get the eagle to loosen its grip. That's when she noticed the roll of paper tied to its leg. Curious, she untied the slip of paper from the eagle's leg, unfolding it carefully.

"What's that you got there, Lucy?" Natsu asked, peering at the slip of paper in her hands. He frowned as her face went ghost white.

"Lucy?" Happy asked in concern, hovering worriedly over her shoulder. He tried to peek at the contents of the letter, but it was abruptly squashed in Lucy's hand.

"Gray," she stood up, stalking towards the dark-haired mage who was watching her with an inquisitive expression. "It's about Lyon."

Gray went still at the mention of his fellow student under Ur. Wordlessly, he extended his hand towards Lucy. Shakily, she passed the paper over. His eyes flickered over the letter several times, just to make sure he's reading it right.

"Gray?" Lucy called out anxiously, touching him lightly on his bicep. It jerked him back to reality. His head snapped up, eyes frantic as it met hers.

"I have to go." He said brusquely.

Lucy nodded and jerked her head towards Natsu, Erza and Happy, "We're going with you."

Gray merely nodded, his throat tight with anxiety and fear. Even if he wanted to object, they wouldn't listen.

"What's going on?" Natsu demanded, affected by Lucy and Gray's anxieties.

Lucy hissed into his ear, while Gray approached the two blue-haired girls sitting at the other corner of the guild. "Juvia, Wendy, I need your help."


	2. Chapter 2

"Where is he?" Gray's voice shook as he demanded, fingers digging into the front of Yuka's shirt. The Lamia Scale mage looked weary. His clothes were tattered, but there were no visible injuries Gray could see. That was why he grabbed Yuka first.

Behind Yuka, Sherry had her head buried into Toby's chest, shrieking and weakly punching the man as he held onto her tightly. For once, the look on his face was grim.

"Look at the sea." Yuka merely said.

Gray's eyes flicked to the direction he pointed. The ice sculpture was _huge. _He was surprised he hadn't seen the thing in the beginning. It'd have been the first thing anyone saw. The water had frozen into thick, long spikes, resembling a grotesque version of a flower and it was at least twice the size of the old Fairy Tail guild before the Tenrou Island incident. The surface of the sea had become a sheet of ice that extended at least ten miles from the port. On the other side of the ice flower was a demolished ship half-submerged into the ice.

And in the center of the ice flower was a monstrous creature that looked like a mix of a giant squid and an octopus. Its gory blood ran down the spikes in a horrifying amount, painting the white, glittering ice crimson.

"That... is a kraken?" Lucy whispered in shock and disgust.

Gray didn't have time to bother about the kraken. Lyon was still _missing_.

"I didn't ask about the damn monster. Where is Lyon?" he snarled at Yuka.

To his surprise, it was Sherry who answered, "He's inside the ice."

She had finally stopped crying and looked up from her position. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her cheeks were red. She sniffled and stood up shakily, limping slightly. "He was dragged into the sea by the kraken. I... I wanted to save him, but–"

Her voice broke and she started crying again, burying her face into her hands. Lucy immediately gathered the woman into her arms, gently running her hand down the latter's back.

"Y-Yuka-san managed to stop us from falling into the sea." Sherry stuttered. "But then... then we felt an explosion of magic and the entire sea was turned into ice. The kraken was killed, but – but Lyon-sama was _gone. _We couldn't break through the ice to search for him. _We couldn't do anything! _Please, Gray-san, _find him_."

The look in her eyes was absolutely heart-breaking. He reached out and brushed back her hair, his expression grim.

"Don't worry. I will bring him back." he said. "Alive."

He spun on his heel, stalking towards the sea. Juvia, Erza and Natsu scrambled to catch up with him.

"Whoa, Gray, what are you going to do?" Natsu asked in alarm as the dark-haired Ice Mage unconsciously started to divest himself of his clothes.

"I'm going down there to find Lyon." Gray answered.

Erza gave him a disapproving look. "Don't be ridiculous. You don't even know where he is!"

"Then I will just search every inch of the sea!" Gray yelled back. His glare intensified as the redhead blocked his way. "_Move_."

"Alright, say you go down there and search every inch of the sea like you said. How long will you take? Thirty minutes? An hour? Or maybe even two?" Erza snapped. "We don't even know whether he's safe or not. How long do you think you will take to find him, and how long do you think he can hold before something happens?"

_Before he dies. _Gray's breathing increased as he heard the unspoken.

"Then what do you want me to do?" he exploded, face flushing. "I have already lost Ur! I'm _not _going to lose Lyon too!"

"Gray..." Erza's eyes softened in understanding.

Juvia cleared her throat suddenly, biting her bottom lip timidly. "Um, if... if the ice was created because of the influx from Lyon-sama's magic... then that means he's probably in the center, right?"

"And the center is..." Erza's eyes widened in realization. "He's under that flower. Natsu!"

Natsu, who has been strangely silent the entire time, lit up. He leaped up excitedly, his temperature climbing rapidly to create a small heat wave over his skin.

"You know what to do. Use your strongest attack." Erza ordered.

Natsu saluted eagerly, "Yes!"

He ran towards the edge of the pier, fists already blazing with flames. Without stopping, he continued running until he was off the pier. "Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist!"

The flames were so bright that Gray had to shield his eyes. Natsu let out a battle cry, delivering a series of fiery punches onto the floor of ice. It took a few more times before the ice cracked. With a final strike that took up nearly half of his strength, the ice that was imbued with Lyon's very life force itself broke. The result was a large, jagged hole big enough for two people to slip through.

"Thank you, Natsu." Gray muttered, casting his coat to the side. Natsu's eyes nearly popped out as Gray passed by him. He shook his head in confusion, unsure if he had heard correctly.

"Wait, Gray-sama, let Juvia go instead." Juvia cried out. When Gray looked back at her, she quickly explained before he could say no. "Juvia can move faster and breathe underwater. Juvia... Juvia will bring back Lyon-sama safely!"

"Juvia..." Gray hesitated, eyes darting between her and the ice flower.

She made the decision for him. She shrugged off her fur coat and hiked up her skirt. Gray reeled away from her, blushing and spluttering in shock.

"Don't worry. I will save Lyon-sama." She said, flashing a smile at him. "That's the reason why Gray-sama asked for my help, isn't it?"

Before Gray could respond, she turned and jumped through the hole. The moment her body hit water, it immediately dissolved into liquid. Without wasting any more time, she took off towards the giant ice sculpture. She materialized an arm, letting her fingers skimmed under the surface of the giant, spiked flower. Her area of expertise was strictly in the realm of water, but ice was also part of water, allowing Juvia to control ice in some way. Of course, she couldn't do anything as exciting as manipulating or even forming ice, but she was able to at least sense if there was any movement inside the ice.

It was difficult. The ice was made out of Lyon's magic, and for some reason, it was saturated thickly with the pale-haired man's _life_. It was as if Lyon's magic had escaped its mortal shell and materialized into a physical form, the ice that covered the entirety of Hargeon's waters.

_If the magic is out of the body, _she suddenly thought in horror, _then doesn't this mean the body is empty right now?_

No one could survive without magic. Even ordinary civilians have enough magic in them to keep them alive.

Juvia's upper body took shape as she realized how serious this situation had become. She needed to get Lyon out of the ice and out of the water so Eternano from the atmosphere could replenish Lyon's magic. She needed to move fast.

She closed her eyes tightly, focusing on finding Lyon. She focused on a _(hopefully) _beating heart, the scent of glacial winter and soft, human skin. She slowly moved towards a direction, instinctively knowing that's where Lyon was.

Water spun in an untamed manner around her arm. She sent the highly pressurized water into the side of the ice flower just as her eyes snapped open, irises glowing with power.

The only damage she managed to inflict was a thin, hairline fracture on the ice. She gritted her teeth in anger and frustration. The water bubbled dangerously around her.

The longer she took, the lower the chances Lyon would have of surviving.

_Gray-sama is depending on Juvia, _she thought, and to her surprise, she felt no pride but a growing anxiety for the man encased in the ice. She closed her eyes again, gathering every drop of power into her hands. A tranquil calm fell over her as the water started to whirl wildly.

_This is my domain, _she thought, _and_ _I will not fail._

The water exploded and ice shards were flung in every direction. Juvia ducked and dived into the opening she had managed to create. She reached out, determined, her hand seeking.

She felt something, before her fingers locked around a slender arm. She yanked at the arm, wrapped her watery body around the prone figure before swimming the hell out of the place.

* * *

Gray paced restlessly, wringing his hands. Natsu watched him walked back and forth, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Gray-san, you're making me dizzy." Wendy said softly from beside her fellow Dragon Slayer.

He mumbled an apology and stopped pacing. He glanced towards the hole in the sea, resisting the urge to dive down to join the search. He has to trust Juvia.

Just as he thought that, Juvia exploded out of the water, gasping in exertion. She was holding something, _someone _in her arms.

"Gray-sama!" she cried out. Gray leaped down, landing lightly on the ice. He held out his hands as she passed the burden over. He slid his hands under Lyon's arms, pulling him out of the water.

"Wendy!" he yelled, placing the pale-haired mage on the ground. The Lamia Scale mages rushed over, with Sherry in the lead. She skidded to a stop beside Lyon, her hand shakily reaching out to touch Lyon's cheek as if he might shatter and vanish any second.

For a blood chilling moment, he thought that Lyon was dead. The older man was so still and pale he could pass off as a corpse. Gray could see bluish veins peeking out under the pallid skin. His lips were tinged blue and flakes of melted ice clung to his hair. With his colourless hair and wan complexion, he looked like a ghost.

He watched Wendy worked her magic on Lyon, unable to keep still. Her lips trembled with effort, but nothing seemed to change in Lyon's condition.

"I-I'm sorry, Gray-san." she panted. "This... is out of my expertise. My magic is not working."

Charle fluttered around her head in worry, quietly reprimanding the young girl for exerting herself. Gray had to bite his tongue to stop himself from lashing out at the Exceed. Charle doesn't know Lyon very well. It's not her fault she was more concerned over Wendy.

"It's alright." He said, managing to keep his voice from wavering.

Lyon wasn't waking up and his pulse was abnormally weak. Gray was helpless and he felt frustrated tears formed in his eyes. This wasn't a monster he could defeat, not even a physical injury he could heal. Lyon was dying, and he didn't know what to do. Magic was killing Lyon, just as it had killed their teacher, Ur.

"Gray..." A chill ran down his back at the unidentified emotion in Lucy's voice. The girl looked up with an unsure expression, gnawing at her bottom lip. "Is it normal for Ice Mages to be _this _cold?"

Gray gave her a puzzled look before giving his full attention to his fellow student. He touched Lyon's cheek hesitantly, frown deepening. Lucy was right; Lyon's temperature was too low. While an Ice Mage's body temperature was usually cooler than a normal human, Lyon's temperature was too low even for an Ice Mage.

"Shit!" he swore. "We need Porlyusica-san."

He grabbed his coat and gently wrapped it around Lyon's shoulders. He slid an arm under Lyon's knees and back, adjusting the pale-haired mage's position. Lyon's head lolled uselessly against his chest, hair dripping wet and hanging loose. With a soft huff, Gray heaved him up.

"I'm heading back first." He told the others, sprinting towards the train station. Magnolia was just a thirty minutes ride away, and hopefully, Lyon could hold on for that long.

Lyon's hand hung out limply, the veins in his wrist startling clear. Swallowing back his fear, Gray ran faster than he has ever run before.

Lyon cannot die. He _refused_ to allow that to ever happen. He has already lost Ur. Lyon can't die too. He _can't. _


	3. Chapter 3

Gray was once again pacing, this time outside Porlyusica's cottage after the healer had gotten irritated as more and more people started to gather in her house and finally threw all of them out, spewing a string of vulgarities at their direction.

Even Erza was cowed by the bad-tempered woman. It's no wonder Makarov held such respect for her. Gray has no doubts that she could reduce a man ten times her size into a whimpering mess with just a mere withering glare.

"He'll be fine, Gray." Lucy said quietly beside him. "After all, the both of you were taught by the same woman."

Gray had to smile a little at that, feeling pleased at the respect shown to Ur. It was because of her that they both turned out the men that they had become.

Before he could respond, the door opened with a soft creak. Porlyusica slipped out silently, approaching them with a neutral expression.

"Porlyusica-san," he started.

The healer's eyes flicked towards him. "Extreme magic exhaustion. He'll be fine in a couple of days. I had fed him a magic replenishing medicine through a tube to help strengthen his body. The rest of his magic will naturally start to restore by itself."

"T-Thank you!" Sherry exclaimed, eyes damp with tears. The rest of the Lamia Scale mages, including Jura, who had rushed over immediately the instant he received Yuka's letter, sagged in relief. If they lose Lyon, Lamia Scale would never be the same again.

"He should have been dead." Porlyusica continued, looking unfazed with Sherry's gratitude. "Usually when a mage dies, their magic dissipates into the air and return to the earth. But in some rare cases, when a mage wants to live badly enough, their magic reacts to their master's will and make one last bid to save them."

Her eyes softened slightly as she glanced at Gray. _Very _slightly that one would have missed it if they weren't looking carefully. "You're lucky that he's such an obstinate fool like the rest of you. His stubbornness saved him in the end."

She pulled her cape tighter around her body, nodding at the direction of her house. "I'm giving you ten minutes to see him. If you're not gone by the time I'm back..."

Her threat lingered in the air. The mages shuddered as they felt an unseen killing force emitting from the 'frail' old woman. Porlyusica gave them a glare before disappearing into the forest.

Gray let the Lamia Scale mages entered the house first, while he waited anxiously outside. The rest of the Fairy Tail mages opted to visit another day, allowing Lyon's own guild mates to spend the time and reassured themselves that their own Ice Mage was safe and alive.

"You actually care a lot for him, don't you?" Natsu suddenly asked, giving him a cheeky smile.

Gray blushed bright red, a tick appearing at his forehead. "Shut up!"

He swung at the Dragon Slayer, but missed as the latter danced out of the way. Natsu's cackling rang in his ears as he dashed off after the others. Juvia gave him a small, tentative smile before she followed after him.

"Gray-san?" he nearly jumped as the door opened. Sherry smiled at him by the doorway, eyes suspiciously red and teary.

"How is he?" he asked nonchalantly.

She glanced back into the house, saying in a soft whisper, "He's alive."

Gray nodded in understanding. Lyon was alive, physically intact and healing. That's the only thing that mattered most.

"Gray-san, there are still a few minutes left." Sherry said quietly. "Do you wish to see him?"

He thought back to what Natsu had said to him before he left, and felt a deep flush crawled up his neck. He was torn between entering the house to make sure Lyon was truly fine or taking Sherry's word for it and see Lyon on another day.

"Just go in." Jura suddenly appeared behind him, a hand pushing him gently through the front door.

Jura slammed the door shut in his face before he could say a word. He mumbled a curse under his breath and reluctantly entered the room Lyon was in.

Lyon was awake, but barely. But it was far better than the shape he was in when he laid in Gray's arms, so, so _still _and on the verge of death. He was sitting up, his hair scattered over his face and shadowing his eyes. He looked drawn and pale, but Gray knew that the older man was aware of his presence and capable of defending himself even in his half-dead state.

"Gray," Lyon greeted as he sat down beside the bed.

The dark-haired mage gave him a small, weak smile. "Hey, you look like shit."

"That's what nearly dying would do to you." Lyon shrugged, letting out a wan laugh. Gray's wince went unnoticed by him. Lyon shifted slightly, grey eyes peering out under colourless hair. "What happened to me?"

"You don't remember? You went all Ice Age at Hargeon." Gray frowned.

Lyon laughed again, but this time it sounded slightly wistful. "The last thing I remembered was drowning. I don't even know what happened after I passed out."

"Your magic saved you." He said, and then decided to add, "The kraken is dead by the way."

"I know. Sherry told me." Lyon shrugged. "She also told me that Juvia was the one who went to break me out of the ice. Tell her I said thanks."

"Tell her yourself." Gray grunted. "You nearly died. That was damn careless of you!"

He didn't realize how angry he was with Lyon until the whole thing was over. He'd always thought that Lyon would be the kind of person who would go down fighting with a powerful villain bent on taking control of the world, not to a big, dumb monster that looked like a giant squid.

"Hey, a kraken is not a weak monster." Lyon protested, knowing perfectly well what he's thinking. "They are magic-resistant and that one is even bigger than Blue Pegasus's Christina!"

Gray scowled at him, but had to grudgingly admit that he's right. Even he would have trouble taking down that kraken.

"Well, be more careful next time then." He snapped, flushing when he realized how lame it sounded to his ears. "Your magic won't be saving you again!"

Instead of the teasing he had expected from Lyon, the latter merely smiled, shaking his head. "No, it wasn't my magic which saved me."

Gray's brows crinkled in confusion. "What do you–"

"It was Ur." Lyon confessed. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not crazy!"

The younger man recoiled, cheeks red. He knew that he probably was too shocked to hide his disbelief, but considering that their teacher was _dead_, it sounded quite unbelievable even in a world of magic.

"I felt her, just before I passed out." Lyon said fervently, looking so convinced and _confident _that Gray had to believe him. "She was there, in the sea and in the water. She was the one who saved me, Gray."

He turned and looked at Gray, eyes sharp and bright despite his pale and sallow complexion.

"Yeah, I know. I believe you." Gray said quietly. "That woman... she just refuses to leave us alone, even after she's gone, doesn't she?"

His chest warmed when Lyon barked out a laugh, eyes soft. "You're right. Ur has always been watching over us."

After all, they were her sons and she was their mother.

* * *

_Shitty ending. I'm already starting to lose interest in this story, but thank god I managed to muster up enough motivation to finish the last chapter... I really can't write a long story at all. T_T_


End file.
